Landfill as a future waste management option in England: the view of landfill operators

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management issues have moved to the fore of the public agenda, with levels of concern and activity by citizens and governments world-wide reaching unprecedented levels. New waste management techniques are being developed in response to this situation, but many are in their infancy and are not proving to be economic in England. Landfill remains the dominant waste management method employed by waste disposal authorities in England, whilst recycling and waste to energy schemes have struggled due to the historically cheap nature of landfill. The opinions and views of both waste disposal authorities and private disposal contractors were obtained using a postal survey, allowing an assessment to be made of the potential role of landfill as a waste management option for municipal waste in England. This survey provides an insight into the broader issues of current interest to the waste industry, focusing upon the take-up rates of alternative treatment routes to landfill by the private and public sectors, and their attitudes towards the various ‘carrots and sticks’ that are currently being used by the Government to shape the management of municipal solid waste in England. By the year 2010 many regions of England will be suffering from a shortage of landfill void and it is in (part) response to this scenario that the Government has begun to actively promote the development and use of alternative strategies, through the initiation of the recycling credit scheme and the imposition of the landfill tax, to preserve landfill void for the future disposal of untreatable residues.